Helping Communities Through Education

Barakat’s Initiative Against Malaria

Malaria is one of the greatest threats to health and economic welfare in India. Malaria causes fatigue, fainting, flu-like symptoms, convulsions, and in some cases can result in death. This issue is a threat to individuals and the community’s economic status as well because it hinders parents ability to provide for their families and it limits students from doing their best in school. Luckily, malaria is a preventable disease. Barakat has been working to prevent malaria in communities so that there is a greater opportunity for indivuals to be productive and raise their standard of living.

Barakat hosted a wine tasting event recently to support our Initiative Against Malaria. The event took place on October 3rd and there was a very good turnout! Wine expert Peter Kenseth led this introductory wine tasting class to raise money for preventing malaria. The money raised is put toward distributing bed nets to the students of Care and Fair Barakat School and the Barakat Qazipur School in Uttar Pradesh, India.

The Long-Lasting Insecticide-treated Nets (LLINS) are recommended by the World Health Organization as the most effective preventive measure against malaria. UNICEF utilizes these nets as well to protect children in various other regions of the world. The net is treated with insecticide and continues to be effective for years even after being washed multiple times. These nets are vital to areas that suffer from the malaria threat. They significantly reduce the number of mosquitos that enter the home and they reduce transmission of the disease by as much as 90%.

Unfortunately, many families do not use the nets because of their high cost and the lack of knowledge about their use. Our event this past weekend raised approximately $500 and, at a cost of $5 per net, Barakat will provide 100 nets for families of students in our schools in India! In addition to providing the nets for our students, Barakat is working to produce a how-to manual for the children to bring home to their parents that will explain the importance of using the bed nets as well as how to set them up so that they are as effective as possible.

Barakat will be hosting future events to benefit the Malaria Initiative for our students in India. Stay tuned for updates on future events or check out the malaria page on our website where you can learn more about how malaria affects our students and where you can donate directly to the initiative.